Hand saw

ABSTRACT

A hand saw that includes a saw blade and a handle assembly having a clamp member movable between a clamped position and a released position. In the clamped position the clamp member exerts a clamping force on a top edge of the saw blade within a slot of the handle assembly to couple the saw blade to the handle assembly and to retain a tang of the saw blade within the slot. In the released position the tang is removable from the slot. A first interior wall and a second interior wall of the handle assembly that define the slot are flat such that the tang of the saw blade can be removed from the slot without moving the saw blade in a direction normal to a longitudinal axis of the saw blade when the clamp member is in the released position.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is divisional application of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/820,277, filed Jun. 22, 2010, which claims priority to U.S.Provisional Patent Application 61/219,619, filed Jun. 23, 2009. Theentire contents of the applications identified above are herebyincorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to saws, and more particularly, to handsaws.

Hand saws typically include a handle assembly and a blade that isremovably coupled to the handle assembly so that a user can replace theblade if the blade becomes worn or if the user desires to use anothertype of blade for a different cutting application. Generally, the bladeof a hand saw includes a plurality of cutting teeth along a bottom edgeof the blade and a tang at an end of the blade. The tang is receivedwithin the handle assembly to couple the handle assembly and the blade.Often, an aperture extends through the tang of the blade and the handleassembly includes a fastener that the user extends through the apertureof the tang. To secure the blade to the handle assembly, the user alignsthe aperture of the tang with an aperture of the handle assembly andinserts the fastener through the aperture of the tang and the apertureof the handle assembly. A nut or the like can be used with the fastenerand the fastener and the nut can be tightened to secure the blade to thehandle assembly.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment, the invention provides a hand saw that includes a sawblade having a top edge, a bottom edge having a plurality of cuttingteeth, a first sidewall that extends between the top edge and the bottomedge, a second sidewall that extends between the top edge and the bottomedge opposite and generally parallel to the first sidewall, alongitudinal axis between the first sidewall and the second sidewall ofthe saw blade parallel to the first sidewall and the second sidewall,and a tang located at an end of the saw blade. The tang is at leastpartially formed by the first sidewall and the second sidewall. The handsaw further includes a handle assembly having a slot that receives thetang to couple the saw blade to the handle assembly. The slot is atleast partially defined by a first interior wall of the handle assemblythat is parallel to and faces the first sidewall of saw blade when thetang is received in the slot and a second interior wall of the handleassembly that is parallel to and faces the second sidewall of the sawblade when the tang is received in the slot. The handle assembly furtherincludes a handle portion configured to be grasped by a user toreciprocate the saw blade to cut a work piece, and a clamp membermovable between a clamped position and a released position. In theclamped position the clamp member exerts a clamping force on the topedge of the saw blade within the slot to couple the saw blade to thehandle assembly and to retain the tang within the slot. In the releasedposition the tang is removable from the slot. The first interior walland the second interior wall of the handle assembly are flat such thatthe tang of the saw blade can be removed from the slot without movingthe saw blade in a direction normal to the longitudinal axis of the sawblade when the clamp member is in the released position.

In another embodiment the invention provides a hand saw including a sawblade having a top edge, a bottom edge having a plurality of cuttingteeth, a first sidewall that extends between the top edge and the bottomedge, a second sidewall that extends between the top edge and the bottomedge opposite and generally parallel to the first sidewall, alongitudinal axis between the first sidewall and the second sidewall ofthe saw blade parallel to the first sidewall and the second sidewall,and a tang located at an end of the saw blade. The tang is at leastpartially formed by the first sidewall and the second sidewall. The handsaw further includes a handle assembly having a slot that receives thetang to couple the saw blade to the handle assembly, a handle portionconfigured to be grasped by a user to reciprocate the saw blade to cut awork piece, and a clamp member movable between a clamped position and areleased position. In the clamped position the clamp member exerts aclamping force on the top edge of the saw blade within the slot tocouple the saw blade to the handle assembly and to retain the tang ofthe saw blade within the slot. In the released position the tang isremovable from the slot, and no portion of the handle assembly extendsthrough the tang from the first sidewall to the second sidewall betweenthe top edge and the bottom edge of the saw blade to inhibit removal ofthe tang from the slot of the handle assembly when the clamp member isin the clamped position and the released position.

In another embodiment the invention provides a hand saw that includes asaw blade having a top edge, a bottom edge having a plurality of cuttingteeth, a first sidewall that extends between the top edge and the bottomedge, a second sidewall that extends between the top edge and the bottomedge opposite and generally parallel to the first sidewall, alongitudinal axis between the first sidewall and the second sidewall ofthe saw blade parallel to the first sidewall and the second sidewall,and a tang located at an end of the saw blade. The tang is at leastpartially formed by the first sidewall and the second sidewall. The handsaw further includes handle assembly having a slot that receives thetang to couple the saw blade to the handle assembly. The handle assemblyfurther includes a handle portion configured to be grasped by a user toreciprocate the saw blade to cut a work piece, a clamp member thatpivots between a clamped position and a released position, and anactuator that is manually operable between a first position and a secondposition to move the clamp member from the clamped position to thereleased position. In the clamped position the clamp member exerts aclamping force on the tang to inhibit removal of the tang from the slotand in the released position the tang can be removed from the slot bypulling the saw blade out of the slot. Insertion of the saw blade intothe slot causes the saw blade to contact the clamp member to pivot theclamp member toward the released position allowing a user to insert thesaw blade into the slot without the user directly operating theactuator. When the actuator is in the first position, the tang ispositioned within the slot, and the clamp is in the clamped position, aforce along the longitudinal axis of the saw blade in a direction toremove the tang from the slot causes the clamp member to pivot towardthe clamped position to increase the clamping force.

Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration ofthe detailed description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hand saw according to one constructionof the invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the hand saw of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the hand saw of FIG. 1 with a handlemember removed.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the hand saw of FIG. 1 with the handle memberremoved.

FIG. 5 is an end view of the hand saw of FIG. 1 with a blade of the handsaw removed.

FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view of a hand saw according to anotherconstruction of the invention with a handle member removed.

Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it isto be understood that the invention is not limited in its application tothe details of construction and the arrangement of components set forthin the following description or illustrated in the following drawings.The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced orof being carried out in various ways.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a hand saw 10 that includes a handle assembly 12 anda blade 14. The illustrated hand saw 10 is particularly suited forcutting materials such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or acrylonitrilebutadiene styrene (ABS), which are materials often used to make pipes.The saw 10 may be used to cut other suitable materials, such as wood.

The blade 14 includes a bottom or cutting edge 16 having a plurality ofcutting teeth, a top edge 18 that is opposite the cutting edge 16, afirst sidewall 20 that extends between the top edge 18 and the cuttingedge 16, and a second sidewall 22 that extends between the top edge 18and the cutting edge 16 parallel to the first sidewall 20 but on theopposite side of the blade 14 from the first sidewall 20. A longitudinalaxis 24 extends along the length of the blade 14 between the sidewalls20, 22 as illustrated in FIG. 2. In the illustrated construction, thesidewalls 20, 22 are flat and the sidewalls 20, 22 are parallel to eachother such that the longitudinal axis 24 is parallel to the sidewalls20, 22. A thickness 25 of the blade is defined as the distance from thefirst sidewall 20 to the second sidewall 22 perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis 24, as illustrated in FIG. 1. Referring to FIGS. 2 and3, the blade 14 further includes a front end portion 26 and a rear endportion 28. A tang 32 is formed at the rear end portion 26 of the blade14. As best seen in FIG. 2, the tang 32 includes a U-shaped aperture 34and a circular aperture 36 that is positioned forward of the U-shapedaperture 36 or closer to the front end portion 26 of the blade 14 thanthe U-shaped aperture 34. In one construction, the blade 14 is an 18inch (length) by 2.5 inch (height) by 0.035 inch (thickness) bladehaving 10 teeth per inch in a raker pattern. In such a construction, theblade 14 is formed from high carbon steel with hardened or bimetalteeth. In other constructions, other types and sizes of blades may beutilized.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the handle assembly 12 includes a main body40, a first handle member 42, and a second handle member 44. In theillustrated construction, the first handle member 42 and the secondhandle member 44 each form half of an outer cover or shell around themain body 40, and the main body 40 is located within or between thehandle members 42, 44. The illustrated first handle member 42 includesapertures 48 that each receives a fastener 50 to couple the handlemembers 42, 44. The second handle member 44 includes posts 54 that eachinclude a threaded blind bore 56. Each threaded bore 56 of the secondhandle member 44 aligns with one of the apertures 48 of the first handlemember 42 such that each pair of aligned apertures 48 and bores 56receives one of the fasteners 50 to couple the members 42, 44 to themain body 40. As illustrated in FIG. 1, when the handle members 42, 44are coupled, the handle members 42, 44 together define a handle portion60 of the saw 10. The handle portion 60 is grabbed by a user toreciprocate the blade 14 along the longitudinal axis 24 of the blade 14to cut a work piece using the cutting teeth of the bottom edge 16 of theblade 14. In one construction, the handle members 42, 44 are formed fromnylon 6, and in other constructions, the handle members 42, 44 may beformed from other suitable materials, such as ABS.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4, the main body 40 includes a blade receivingslot 64 having an upper wall 66, a lower wall 68 opposite the upper wall66, an inner wall 70 that forms a closed end of the slot 64, and an openend 72 opposite the inner wall 70. A length 74 of the blade receivingslot 64 is defined as a distance from the inner wall 70 to the open end72. Referring to FIG. 5, the slot 64 is further defined by a firstinterior wall 78 of the main body 40 and a second interior wall 80 ofthe main body 40 that is parallel to and faces the first interior wall78. When the saw blade 14 is received in the slot 64 (FIG. 4), the firstinterior wall 78 faces the first sidewall 20 of the blade 14 and thesecond interior wall 80 faces the second sidewall 22 of the blade 14. Awidth 82 of the blade receiving slot 64 is defined as the distancebetween the interior walls 78, 80 and the width 82 is slightly widerthan the thickness 25 of the blade 14 to allow the blade 14 to bereceived within the slot 64. However, the width 82 of the slot 64 alsominimizes movement of the blade 14 in the directions of arrows 84 and 86that are normal to the longitudinal axis 24 (FIG. 2) of the blade 14.Also, as best seen in FIGS. 2 and 5, the interior walls 78, 80 are flatand therefore the walls 78, 80 do not include any projections or thelike that extend into the slot 64 to inhibit movement of the blade 14into or out of the slot 64 (i.e., in the directions of arrows 88 and 90along the longitudinal axis 24 of the blade 14).

Referring to FIG. 2, the main body 40 further includes apertures 94 thatextend through the main body 40. Each of the apertures 94 receives oneof the posts 54 of the second handle member 44 to position the main body40 with respect to the handle members 42, 44. In one construction, themain body 40 is integrally formed as a single component from diecastA380 aluminum. Accordingly, in one construction, the main body 40, whichprimarily provides support for the blade 14, is made from aluminum, arelatively strong material, and the handle members 42, 44 are made fromABS, which is relatively lightweight and low cost, but generally doesnot have the same strength as aluminum. In other constructions, the mainbody 40 may be formed from any suitable material using any suitablemethod.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the handle assembly 12 further includes ablade clamp assembly 98 that is supported by the main body 40. The bladeclamp assembly 90 includes a clamp member 100 and an actuator 102. Theillustrated actuator 102 includes a threaded shank 104 and a thumb turn106 coupled to the shank 104 in order to allow a user to rotate theshank 104. The threaded shank 104 is received in a threaded aperture 108of the main body 40. The clamp member 100 is received in a recess 112 ofthe main body 40 to position the clamp member 100 with respect to theblade 14, and more particularly, with respect to the top edge 18 of theblade 14. The clamp member 100 includes an angled upper surface 116 anda V-shaped groove 118 that is formed on a lower surface of the clampmember 100. The V-shaped groove 118 is sized to receive the blade 14,and in particular, the top edge 18 of blade 14. Referring to FIG. 4, theangled upper surface 116 forms an acute angle 122 measured between thesurface 116 and the top edge 18 of the blade 14 as illustrated in FIG.4. In the illustrated construction, the angle 122 is about 20 degrees.

Referring to FIG. 4, in operation, the user couples the blade 14 to thehandle assembly 12 by placing the blade clamp member 100 in a releasedposition. The user places the clamp member 100 in the released positionby rotating the threaded shank 104 using the thumb turn 106(counterclockwise in the illustration FIG. 1) to move the shank 104 in adirection out of the threaded aperture 108 (i.e., in a direction ofarrow 124) thereby releasing any clamping force on the clamp member 100by the shank 104. In the released position, the clamp member 100 is ableto move slightly in the vertical directions (i.e., the directions ofarrows 126 and 128). Therefore, the user can slide the tang 32 of theblade 14 in the direction of arrow 88 and into the blade receiving slot64 until the blade 14 contacts the inner wall 70 of the slot 64, whichis the position illustrated in FIG. 4. As discussed above, the interiorwalls 78, 80 (FIG. 5) of the slot 64 are flat and therefore, the walls78, 80 do not include any projections or the like that extend into theslot 64 to inhibit movement of the blade 14 into the slot 64. Thus, theuser can insert the blade 14 into the slot 64 without moving the blade14 in directions normal to the longitudinal axis 24 of the blade 14(i.e., directions of arrows 84 and 86 of FIG. 3).

With the blade 14 in the position illustrated in FIG. 4, the userrotates the thumb turn 106 to place the blade clamp member 100 in aclamped position (position illustrated in FIG. 4). The user rotates thethumb turn 106 (clockwise in the illustration of FIG. 1) to move thethreaded shank 104 further into the threaded aperture 108 of the mainbody 40 or in the direction of arrow 132 of FIG. 4 in order apply aclamping force to the clamp member 100. In the illustrated construction,the threaded shank 104 directly contacts the angled surface 116 of theclamp member 100 to apply the clamping force, and the clamp member 100directly contacts the top edge 18 of the blade 14 to apply the clampingforce to the top edge 18 of the blade 14 at the tang 32. Applying forceto the clamp member 100 forces the blade 14 against the lower wall 68 ofthe slot 64 to tightly retain the tang 32 of the blade 14 between theclamp member 100 and the lower wall 68 of the slot 64. Then, the usermay utilize the saw 10 to cut any suitable material. In the illustratedconstruction, the clamp member 100 includes the angled upper surface 116at the angle 122 with respect to the top edge 18 of the blade 14 and theshank 104 contacts the angled surface 116. Therefore, a portion of theclamping force is directed along the longitudinal axis 24 of the blade14 in a direction toward the inner wall 70 of the slot 64 (i.e., in thedirection the arrow 88) and a portion of the clamping force is directedtoward the lower wall 68 of the slot 64 (i.e., in the direction of thearrow 128).

If the user desires to change the blade 14, the user places the bladeclamp member 100 back in the released position as discussed above byrotating the threaded shank 104 using the thumb turn 106 to release theclamping force applied by the clamp member 100 to the blade 14. In thereleased position, the user may slide the tang 32 of the blade 14 out ofthe blade receiving slot 64. As discussed above, the interior walls 78,80 (FIG. 5) of the slot 64 are flat. Therefore, the walls 78, 80 do notinclude any projections or the like that extend into the slot 64 or theblade 14 when the blade 14 is received in the slot 64 to inhibitmovement of the blade 14 out of the slot 64 when the clamp member 100 isin the released position and the user can remove the blade 14 from theslot 64 without moving the blade 14 in directions normal to thelongitudinal axis 24 of the blade 14 (i.e., directions of arrows 84,86). Furthermore, the clamping force is only applied to the top edge 18of the blade 14 by the clamp member 100. Therefore, no portion of thesaw 10 or handle assembly 12, including the blade clamp assembly 98,extends into the blade 14 to inhibit movement of the blade 14 out of theslot 64 when the clamp member 100 is in the released position. The useronly needs to move the saw blade 14 along the longitudinal axis 24 ofthe saw blade 14 in the direction of arrow 90 to remove the tang 32 fromthe slot 64. The user does not need to move the blade 14 in directionsnormal to the longitudinal axis 24 of the blade 14 (i.e., the directionsof arrows 84, 86). In addition, no portion of the blade clamp assembly98 extends into the saw blade 14, including the apertures 34 and 36, andtherefore, the user does not need to align the blade clamp assembly 98with an aperture of the blade 14 to couple the blade 14 to the handleassembly 12. The user can couple the blade 14 to the handle assembly 12without utilizing the apertures 34 and 36 of the blade 14.

FIG. 6 illustrates a saw 210 according to another construction of theinvention. The illustrated saw 210 includes the blade 14 that is thesame as the blade 14 illustrated in FIGS. 1-5 and described above. Thesaw 210 also includes other similar features as the saw 10 illustratedin FIGS. 1-5 and described above. Therefore, only differences betweenthe saws 210 and 10 will be discussed below.

The saw 210 includes a handle assembly 212 to which the blade 14 iscoupled. The handle assembly 212 includes a main body 240, a firsthandle member (not illustrated), and a second handle member 244. In theillustrated construction, the first handle member and the second handlemember 244 each form half of an outer cover or shell around the mainbody 240, and the main body 240 is located within or between the firsthandle member and the second handle member 244.

The main body 240 includes a blade receiving slot 264 having an upperwall 266, a lower wall 268 opposite the upper wall 266, an inner wall270 that forms a closed end of the slot 264, and an open end 272opposite the inner wall 270. The slot 264 is further defined by a firstinterior wall 278 of the main body 240 and a second interior wall 280 ofthe main body 240 that is parallel to and faces the first interior wall278. Like the main body 40 of the saw 10 of FIGS. 1-5, the interiorwalls 278, 280 are flat and therefore, the walls 278, 280 do not includeany projections or the like that extend into the slot 264 to inhibitmovement of the blade 14 into or out of the slot 264 (i.e., in thedirections of arrows 88, 90 along the longitudinal axis 24 of the blade14).

The saw 210 further includes a blade clamp assembly 284. The blade clampassembly 284 includes an actuator 286 and a clamp member 288. The clampmember 288 includes a first leg 292 and a second leg 294. The legs 292,294 are connected by an arcuate transition 296 that defines a portion ofa cylinder. The transition 296 receives a partially cylindrically-shapedpost or pivot 298 of the main body 240 such that the clamp member 288pivots on the post 298 with respect to the main body 240. The second leg294 of the clamp member 288 includes a V-shaped groove 300 formed at afree end of the leg 294. A biasing member 302, which is a coil spring inthe illustrated construction, contacts the main body 240 and the secondleg 294 to bias the clamp member 288 about the post 298 in the directionof arrow 304 (counterclockwise as illustrated in FIG. 6) and toward aclamped position. The actuator 286 includes a push button 306 and ashank 308 that engages the clamp member 288 to interconnect the pushbutton 306 and the clamp member 288.

In operation, the user couples the blade 14 to the handle assembly 212by sliding or inserting the blade 14 into the blade receiving slot 264until the blade 14 contacts the inner wall 270 of the slot 264, which isthe position illustrated in FIG. 6. As the blade 14 is being insertedinto the slot 264 (direction of arrow 88), the blade 14 contacts thesecond leg 294 of the clamp member 288 to pivot the clamp member 288about the post 298 in the direction of arrow 312 against the bias of thespring 302, thereby pivoting the clamp member 288 from the clampedposition to a released position. Accordingly, the user may couple theblade 14 to the handle assembly 212 without directly operating theactuator 286 (i.e., pressing the push button 306 in the illustratedconstruction). With the blade 14 in the position illustrated in FIG. 6,the spring 302 biases the clamp member 288 into the clamped position andinto direct contact with the upper edge 18 of the blade 14 and the upperedge 18 of the blade 14 is received within the groove 300 of the clampmember 288. Together, the spring 302 and the clamp member 288 hold theblade 14 firmly against the lower wall 268 of the slot 264 such that theuser can utilize the saw 210 to cut any suitable material. With theblade 14 and the clamp assembly 284 in the positions illustrated in FIG.6, a force along the longitudinal axis 24 of the saw blade 14 in thedirection of arrow 90 (i.e., in a direction that tends to remove thetang 32 from the slot 264) causes the clamp member 288 to pivot aboutthe post 298 toward the clamped position (i.e., in the direction ofarrow 310). Accordingly, the force tending to remove the tang 32 fromthe slot 264 increases the clamping force on the blade 14 by the clampmember 288.

If the user desires to change the blade 14, the user pushes the pushbutton 306 to move the clamp member 288 to the released position. Toplace the clamp member 288 in the released position, the user pushes thebutton 306 in the direction of arrow 314, which causes the shank 308 ofthe actuator 286 to contact and pivot the clamp member 288 in thedirection of arrow 312 and out of engagement with the top edge 18 of thesaw blade 14. Therefore, the clamp member 288 no longer holds the blade14 against the lower wall 268 of the slot 264. In the released position,the user may slide the blade 14 out of the blade receiving slot 264 bypulling the blade 14 in the direction of arrow 90 along the longitudinalaxis 24 of the blade 14.

Similar to the saw 10 of FIGS. 1-5, described above, the user may couplethe blade 14 to the handle assembly 212 without utilizing the apertures34, 36 (FIG. 2) of the blade 14. Furthermore, no portion of the saw 210or handle assembly 212, including the blade clamp assembly 284, extendsinto the blade 14 to inhibit movement of the blade 14 out of the slot264 when the clamp member 288 is in the released position. The user doesnot need to move the blade 14 in directions normal to the longitudinalaxis 24 of the blade 14 (i.e., the directions of arrows 84, 86) toremove the blade 14 from the slot 264 or to insert the blade 14 into theslot 264. In addition, no portion of the blade clamp assembly 284extends into the saw blade 14, including the apertures 34 and 36, andtherefore, the user does not need to align the blade clamp assembly 284with an aperture of the blade 14 to couple the blade 14 to the handleassembly 212.

Although the invention has been described in detail with reference tocertain preferred embodiments, variations and modifications exist withinthe scope and spirit of one or more independent aspects of the inventionas described. Various features and advantages of the invention are setforth in the following claims.

1. A hand saw comprising: a saw blade including a top edge, a bottomedge having a plurality of cutting teeth, a first sidewall that extendsbetween the top edge and the bottom edge, a second sidewall that extendsbetween the top edge and the bottom edge opposite and generally parallelto the first sidewall, a longitudinal axis between the first sidewalland the second sidewall of the saw blade parallel to the first sidewalland the second sidewall, and a tang located at an end of the saw blade,the tang at least partially formed by the first sidewall and the secondsidewall; and a handle assembly including a slot that receives the tangto couple the saw blade to the handle assembly, the handle assemblyfurther including a handle portion configured to be grasped by a user toreciprocate the saw blade to cut a work piece, a clamp member thatpivots between a clamped position and a released position, and anactuator that is manually operable between a first position and a secondposition to move the clamp member from the clamped position to thereleased position, wherein in the clamped position the clamp memberexerts a clamping force on the tang to inhibit removal of the tang fromthe slot, wherein in the released position the tang can be removed fromthe slot by pulling the saw blade out of the slot, wherein insertion ofthe saw blade into the slot causes the saw blade to contact the clampmember to pivot the clamp member toward the released position allowing auser to insert the saw blade into the slot without the user directlyoperating the actuator, and wherein when the actuator is in the firstposition, the tang is positioned within the slot, and the clamp is inthe clamped position, a force along the longitudinal axis of the sawblade in a direction to remove the tang from the slot causes the clampmember to pivot toward the clamped position to increase the clampingforce.
 2. The hand saw of claim 1, wherein the actuator includes a pushbutton and a shank that engages the clamp member, wherein the pushbutton is manually operable to move the shank to pivot the clamp memberto the released position.
 3. The hand saw of claim 1, wherein the slotis at least partially defined by a first interior wall of the handleassembly that is parallel to and faces the first sidewall of saw bladewhen the tang is received in the slot and a second interior wall of thehandle assembly that is parallel to and faces the second sidewall of thesaw blade when the tang is received in the slot, and wherein the firstinterior wall and the second interior wall of the handle assembly areflat such that the tang can be removed from the slot without moving thesaw blade in a direction normal to the longitudinal axis of the sawblade when the clamp member is in the released position.
 4. The hand sawof claim 1, wherein when the clamp member is in the clamped position andthe released position, no portion of the handle assembly extends throughthe tang from the first sidewall to the second sidewall between the topedge and the bottom edge of the saw blade to inhibit removal of the tangfrom the slot of the handle assembly.
 5. The hand saw of claim 1,wherein the clamp member includes a V-shaped groove that receives thetop edge of the saw blade when the saw blade is received in the slot. 6.The hand saw of claim 1, wherein the handle assembly includes a mainbody that defines the slot, a first handle member, and a second handlemember that is coupled to the first handle member to enclose the mainbody within the handle assembly, and wherein the first handle member andthe second handle member together define the handle portion of the handsaw.
 7. The hand saw of claim 6, wherein the main body is integrallyformed as a single component.
 8. The hand saw of claim 6, wherein themain body includes an aperture, wherein the second handle memberincludes a post that extends into the aperture to couple the main bodyto the second handle member, wherein the post includes a threadedaperture, wherein a fastener extends through the first handle member andinto the threaded aperture of the post to couple the first handlemember, the second handle member, and the main body.
 9. The hand saw ofclaim 6, wherein the main body is formed from a first material, andwherein the first handle member and the second handle member are formedfrom a second material.
 10. The hand saw of claim 1, wherein the clampmember includes a first leg and a second leg coupled by an arcuatetransition therebetween, the transition pivotable about a post to pivotthe clamp member between the clamped position and the released position.11. A hand saw comprising: a saw blade including a top edge, a bottomedge having a plurality of cutting teeth, a first sidewall that extendsbetween the top edge and the bottom edge, a second sidewall that extendsbetween the top edge and the bottom edge opposite and generally parallelto the first sidewall, a longitudinal axis between the first sidewalland the second sidewall of the saw blade parallel to the first sidewalland the second sidewall, and a tang located at an end of the saw blade,the tang at least partially formed by the first sidewall and the secondsidewall; and a handle assembly including, a slot that receives the tangto couple the saw blade to the handle assembly, the slot at leastpartially defined by a first interior wall of the handle assembly thatis parallel to and faces the portion of the first sidewall of the sawblade when the tang is received in the slot and a second interior wallof the handle assembly that is parallel to and faces the portion of thesecond sidewall of the saw blade when the tang is received in the slot,the slot including an open end through which the tang is received and aclosed end opposite the open end, a handle portion configured to begrasped by a user to reciprocate the saw blade to cut a work piece, aclamp member including a first let and a second leg, the clamp memberpivotable between a clamped position and a released position, a clampactuator that is manually operable between a first position and a secondposition to move the clamp member from the clamped position to thereleased position, wherein in the clamped position the clamp memberexerts the clamping force on the top edge of the saw blade within theslot to couple the saw blade to the handle assembly and to retain thetang within the slot, wherein in the released position the tang isremovable from the slot, and wherein the first interior wall and thesecond interior wall of the handle assembly are flat such that the tangof the saw blade can be removed from the slot without moving the sawblade in a direction normal to the longitudinal axis of the saw bladewhen the clamp member is in the released position.
 12. The hand saw ofclaim 11, wherein the first and second legs of the clamp member arecoupled by an arcuate transition, the transition pivotable about a postto pivot the clamp member between the clamped position and the releasedposition.
 13. The hand saw of claim 11, wherein the actuator includes apush button and a shank that engages the clamp member, wherein the pushbutton is manually operable to move the shank to pivot the clamp memberto the released position.
 14. The hand saw of claim 11, wherein when theclamp member is in the clamped position and the released position, noportion of the handle assembly extends through the tang from the firstsidewall to the second sidewall between the top edge and the bottom edgeof the saw blade to inhibit removal of the tang from the slot of thehandle assembly.
 15. The hand saw of claim 11, wherein the clamp memberincludes a V-shaped groove that receives the top edge of the saw bladewhen the saw blade is received in the slot.
 16. A hand saw comprising: asaw blade including a top edge, a bottom edge having a plurality ofcutting teeth, a first sidewall that extends between the top edge andthe bottom edge, a second sidewall that extends between the top edge andthe bottom edge opposite and generally parallel to the first sidewall, alongitudinal axis between the first sidewall and the second sidewall ofthe saw blade parallel to the first sidewall and the second sidewall,and a tang located at an end of the saw blade, the tang at leastpartially formed by the first sidewall and the second sidewall; and ahandle assembly including a slot that receives the tang to couple thesaw blade to the handle assembly, the handle assembly further includinga handle portion configured to be grasped by a user to reciprocate thesaw blade to cut a work piece, a pivotable clamp member, a clampactuator that is manually operable between a first position and a secondposition to pivot the clamp member, wherein insertion of the saw bladeinto the slot causes the saw blade pivot the clamp member in a firstdirection thereby allowing a user to insert the saw blade into the slotwithout the user directly operating the actuator, wherein when theactuator is in the first position, the tang is positioned within theslot such that the clamp member exerts a clamping force on the tangthereby securing the tang within the slot, and wherein a force along thelongitudinal axis of the saw blade in a direction opposite insertion ofthe saw blade into the slot causes the clamp member to pivot in a seconddirection thereby increasing the clamping force.
 17. The hand saw ofclaim 16, wherein the actuator includes a push button and a shank thatengages the clamp member, wherein the push button is manually operableto move the shank to pivot the clamp member in the first directionthereby allowing the user to remove the saw blade from the slot.
 18. Thehand saw of claim 16, wherein the slot is at least partially defined bya first interior wall of the handle assembly that is parallel to andfaces the first sidewall of saw blade when the tang is received in theslot and a second interior wall of the handle assembly that is parallelto and faces the second sidewall of the saw blade when the tang isreceived in the slot, and wherein the first interior wall and the secondinterior wall of the handle assembly are flat such that the tang can beremoved from the slot without moving the saw blade in a direction normalto the longitudinal axis of the saw blade when the clamp member is inthe released position.
 19. The hand saw of claim 16, wherein no portionof the handle assembly extends through the tang from the first sidewallto the second sidewall between the top edge and the bottom edge of thesaw blade to inhibit removal of the tang from the slot of the handleassembly.
 20. The hand saw of claim 16, wherein the clamp memberincludes a first leg and a second leg coupled by an arcuate transitiontherebetween, the transition pivotable about a post relative to theslot.